SEATTLE, WA [Sept. 23, 2015] -- 2015-16 Washington State Bar Association President William D. Hyslop and President-elect Robin Lynn Haynes, who will take over the presidency for 2016-17, were sworn in at the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner on Sept. 17, 2015, at the Sheraton Seattle. Outgoing WSBA President Anthony D. Gipe, the WSBA Board of Governors, and other dignitaries from the legal community were present. Special guest Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara A. Madsen spoke at the event and swore in the new officers.

William D. Hyslop practices in civil litigation and dispute resolution at Lukins & Annis, P.S., in Spokane, where he is a principal. He has practiced with the firm since 1980, except for 1991-93, when he served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Hyslop served on the WSBA Board of Governors in 2000-03. In 2006, he was awarded the WSBA President's Award in recognition of his leadership and service to the legal profession and his community. Hyslop is a past president of the Federal Bar Association of the Eastern District of Washington and of the Spokane County Bar Association, a former co-chair of the WSBA Committee on Public Defense, and a past trustee of the Legal Foundation of Washington. He has served in numerous community and civic leadership roles, including as president of the Washington State University Alumni Association and as co-chair of numerous K-12 school funding campaigns.

Robin Lynn Haynes was elected to the WSBA Board of Governors in June 2012, representing new and young lawyers. During her time on the Board she has been active with the MCLE Taskforce and Board, the WYLC, the Committee for Professional Ethics, and the Washington State Bar Foundation, as well as chairing the BOG Legislative Committee. She is a Principal in the Litigation, Employment, and Intellectual Property Groups at Witherspoon Kelley in Spokane, Washington. She previously worked with the firm of Reed & Giesa, P.S., where she became its first woman partner in 2011.

Haynes's involvement in the legal community began during law school with the ABA and has continued with mentorship and leadership every year since she was admitted. Haynes served as President of the Spokane County Bar Association's Young Lawyer Division, with the former Washington Young Lawyers Division (now WYLC) of the WSBA as the Greater Spokane Trustee, and as a board member for the Spokane County Volunteer Lawyers Program. Haynes was selected the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the WSBA in 2012. She is a founding Board member for the Washington Vets Will Clinic, providing free estate planning for veterans across our state; a moderate means attorney; and active with Planned Parenthood's Women's Leadership Circle. Haynes earned her undergraduate, Master's, and law degrees from Gonzaga University, where she remains active with mentorship and student competitions. She will be the WSBA's youngest President and the fifth woman to hold the position.

Chief Justice Madsen also swore in this year's new WSBA governors, who are elected by the voting members in their districts, as well as one new at-large governor selected by the BOG at its June 2015 meeting. WSBA districts follow the same boundaries as congressional districts: G. Kim Risenmay in District 1, William D. Pickett in District 4, Angela M. Hayes in District 5, and James K. Doane in District 7-South.